UAMS Family Medicine

03/09/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Stone!

We are thrilled to announce that Leslie Stone, M.D., MPH, will become Associate Dean of the UAMS College of Medicine on the Northwest Arkansas campus beginning July 1. He is replacing John Spollen, M.D., as Spollen takes over as the college's Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

A tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Dr. Stone is a graduate of the UAMS College of Medicine and an experienced family physician with deep community ties in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. Stone has held several key educational leadership roles at UAMS, including Associate Director of Medical Student Education, Director of the Honors Program in Underserved Primary Care, and Clerkship Director for Family Medicine. His teaching excellence has been recognized by the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians, among others, and his longstanding dedication to underserved populations includes work in Honduras, Cuba, and East Harlem. We look forward to Dr. Stone's leadership as our clinical and educational programs continue to expand across the region.

01/24/2026

Colorectal cancer is highly treatable and beatable if caught early. UAMS' $3.5 million CDC grant will be working with its eight regional campuses to increase rates of colorectal cancer screening and save lives.

LITTLE ROCK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded more than $3.5 million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to lead a five-year statewide effort to improve the rate of colorectal cancer screening in the state. Arkansas ranks fifth nationally...

01/10/2026

The UAMS Dept. of Family and Preventive Medicine has a new resident! UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program

12/15/2025

A new resident joins the UAMS Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. 👇UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program

12/12/2025

Acetaminophen is the No. 1 overdosed substance in the country with no close second, said Howell Foster, a pharmacist and director of the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center. He spoke to the UAMS family medicine grand rounds this week. One Arkansas case involved an overdose of Tessalon perles (benzonatate), frequently prescribed this time of year to control cough. It is a particularly potent anesthetic, and the patient died of heart failure after taking 10 - 15 perles. Arkansas Poison Center UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

11/25/2025

Check out the recent article on how primary care can screen for youth substance abuse. The chances of someone developing an addiction are 6 times higher for teens who started before 15 than those who delay use until they're 21 or older. Arkansas Behavioral Health Integration Network-ABHIN River Valley Medical Wellness Aaron Weiner, PhD

Ninety percent of people addicted to substances started drugs before they were 18, and anxiety, depression and even su***de are often linked with addiction. That’s why early detection is crucial, said Caitlyn Johnson and Kim Shuler, licensed social workers with Arkansas Behavioral Health Integrati...

11/21/2025

On , here's a shoutout to UAMS' rural track residency programs at Crossett, Berryville/Eureka Springs and El Dorado. Dr. Donya Watson and Dr. C'Asia James at El Dorado offer obstetric care to patients in rural south Arkansas and recently presented on first trimester bleeding at the UAMS Family Medicine Grand Rounds. It's critical that rural family medicine providers are able to care for pregnant women since 14% of labor and delivery units in Arkansas have shut down since 2020 with another 24% at risk of closing. UAMS South Regional Campus - Magnolia UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences UAMS Family Medicine Residency Program

11/09/2025

11/08/2025

UAMS' Robert Hopkins Jr., M.D., a national expert on immunizations, told attendees at the Family Medicine Update that influenza was severe last season in the United States. More than 280 children died from the the flu, the worst since the 2009-2010 season. Was the vaccine a bad match for the virus? No, he said. The problem was low vaccinations. His advice to providers when patients start questioning vaccinations is to pivot to a respectful conversation with a brief motivational interview, engage, establish trust, and if the appointment ends with no vaccination, revisit next time. Don't consider it a failure. UAMS Internal Medicine Residency UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Arkansas Academy of Family Physicians

11/07/2025

Daniela Ramirez-Aguilar, an epidemiologist with the Arkansas Central Cancer Registry, said that 64% of Arkansas patients die who are diagnosed with lung cancer, which may be due to a lack of early screening. However, the mortality rate for breast cancer is only 16%, and colorectal cancer shows 35%. She presented these findings at the UAMS Family Medicine Update last week. UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Arkansas Cancer Coalition UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

11/05/2025

Highlights from the Family Medicine Update, Day 2. The morning started with duo pediatric docs Rachel Ekdahl and Satvika Mikkilineni discussing respiratory viruses in kids, what to look for and how to treat. A surprising takeaway was the recently released information on nasal saline drops for a cold. A study showed fewer family members caught the cold (46% vs. 61% for usual care), and 82% of parents said the drops helped the child get better sooner. A bonus is they're inexpensive to use.
Sign up to watch 12 hours of CME/CE on-demand at https://cvent.me/G30x5d.

Arkansas Children's UAMS - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

11/04/2025

Women who are close to menopause or experiencing symptoms should not be told to "tough it out" or "get through it," said Alexis White, M.D., a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner at UAMS. She spoke at the Family Medicine Update on the challenges of menopause and hormone replacement therapy. While HRT benefits cognitive function for those transitioning to menopause, it has no cognitive benefit for women starting late. For a recording of Dr. White's talk, sign up at https://cvent.me/G30x5d.

UAMS Women's Health